Tigers claim Crossover

It seemed the tougher the situation, the better the Lewis and Clark High volleyball team played.

First, the Tigers let a third-set lead slip away in the semifinals of the Crossover Classic against Sandpoint before recovering for a 16-14 victory. That sent LC into the championship match against Coeur d’Alene where the Tigers rallied late for a 25-23 win in the first set and they clinched the title by scoring the last six points in a 25-19 victory at Rogers High School.

“I thought we held our composure really well, even when we were down,” Tigers coach Julie Yearout said. “In that final match, we didn’t make many unforced errors. We just kind of stayed with them and took care of our own side.”

LC claimed the Platinum Bracket, which featured the 16 teams that won their respective four-team pools.

Coeur d’Alene advanced to the title match by defeating Mead in two sets. Mead took third place by knocking off Sandpoint 25-23.

The Vikings had opportunities against LC, but the Tigers responded at key moments. Coeur d’Alene led 18-16, 20-19, 21-20 and 23-22 after Shelby Robb’s kill between two blockers. Senior Chloe Rowand’s block pulled LC even and two Viking hitting errors ended the first set.

The Vikings led the second set 14-12, but Rowand’s block triggered three straight LC points. It was even at 19 after CdA’s Hanna Johnson’s cross-court kill. Rowand had two well-placed tips and junior Emily Clary added two kills, the last on set point.

“They had some great defense on their side,” Vikings coach Carly Curtis said. “We had a hard time putting the ball down. I don’t really think that we played bad, we just couldn’t get the sideout when we needed it.”

Rowand had four kills in the second game and was a presence at the net throughout. The Vikings did a nice job digging several of Oceana Bush’s high-velocity spikes, but LC found other offensive sources.

“Emily was big late,” Yearout said. “She struggled all day so that was really nice to see her come up big when we needed her. But that’s all of these guys. They seem to respond instead of getting down. They keep working and somebody new comes up big when we need them.

“Everybody thought we were going to go outside to No. 12 (Bush) and our setter (Hilary Koenigs) mixed it up great, keeping everybody involved.”

Kama Griffitts paced Coeur d’Alene with eight kills. Natalie Stewart had 16 assists and Marissa Armour had 10 digs.

“I’m just proud of the girls,” Curtis said. “I was telling them, ‘This is the toughest tournament we’re going to play in.’ You’re not going to see as tough of teams at state, and for you to be successful here is really going to set you up for your postseason and into districts and hopefully on to state.”

In the Tigers’ semifinal win, they saw leads of 10-5 and 12-8 evaporate as Sandpoint pulled in front 14-12 in the decisive third set. Bush’s kill and Rowand’s block sparked LC’s comeback.